Northern Ireland News for January 2012

Recruitment News, Jan 31, 2012
Sky Announces 800 Jobs
Digital TV provider Sky has announced 800 jobs at a customer contact centre in Dublin. The jobs will be created over the next two years and recruitment has already began. The customer contact centr...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Minister Announces Expert-Led Inquiry Into Baby Bug Outbreak
Health Minister Edwin Poots has announced a full and rigorous investigation and review into the recent outbreak of Pseudomonas. Speaking in the Assembly today where he briefed MLAs, the Minister said...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Masked Men Attack House In Dungiven
A house has been attacked in Dungiven, County Londonderry, on Monday evening. Two masked men fired shots at the property and at the car, which was parked in the driveway, at around 21.45pm according ...
Business News, Jan 31, 2012
Soil Reclamation Ploughs Savings Into NI Construction Sector
After taking part in an Invest Northern Ireland environmental workshop, Portadown company, ReCon Waste Management has diverted almost 2,000 tonnes of contaminated soil from landfill resulting in signi...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
McLaughlin Contract Subject To Review, Reports Say
Ulster coach Brian McLaughlin's contract will not be renewed at the end of the season, according to reports. Mr McLaughlin's contract is due to expire in May, and it is believed it will not be renewe...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Body Found Near University Campus
A man's body has been recovered from water close to the Cavehill building at the University of Ulster in Coleraine. A member of staff discovered the body this morning at the river near the Cromore Ro...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Govt Announce Cull Of Qualifications
The Department of Education has announced a cull of vocational qualifications that are equivalent to GCSEs. The plan, announced by the Secretary of State for Education, Michael Gove said 'equivalent...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Nesbitt To Replace McNarry
Strangford MLA, Mike Nesbitt, has expressed his determination to work for all the schoolchildren of the constituency in his new role as Vice-Chair of the Northern Ireland Assembly's Education Committe...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Destroyer Set For Falklands
A Navy Destroyer has been deployed off the coast of the Falklands Islands in the South Atlantic, it has been revealed. HMS Dauntless is the first such vessel to set out for the disputed islands, tha...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Heroic Atlantic Rower Applauded
Belfast International Airport has added its congratulations to record-breaking Atlantic rower, Kate Richardson, from Portadown. Twenty-two year old Kate, who was supported by Belfast International A...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Man Killed During Burglary In London
A murder investigation has been launched over the death of a man in Bexleyheath following a robbery. Police were called at approximately 10.25pm on Wednesday January after reports of a burglary at a...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Scam Radon Letters Sent To Householders
Residents in the Newry area have reported receiving letters suggesting that it will be necessary to vacate their homes in mid-February in order to facilitate testing for radon gas. The letters claim ...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Gov Criticised Over Flood Cuts
The Government has been criticised over its handling of flood protection, after making a 27% cut to flood protection and for being unclear on where the "buck stops". Commenting on the Public Account...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Woman Sexually Assaulted At Beechmount Leisure Centre Site
Sinn Féin councillor for the Lower Falls has called the site of the old Beechmount Leisure Centre to be secured following reports of a serious sexual assault on a woman, allegedly by two men in the ea...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Save £1bn And Drop Health Bill – Labour
Labour have again called on the Government to drop the controversial Health Bill, saying that scrapping the proposal could save £1 billion. The Labour call comes as the editors of three health pub...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Cannabis Factory Worth £200,000 Discovered
Police have uncovered a cannabis factory following a search of a property in the Belfast Road area of Antrim yesterday, Saturday 28th January. Cannabis plants with an estimated street value of £200,0...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 31, 2012
Other News In Brief
Strabane Shirt Manufacturer Sizes Up African Markets Strabane-based Grosvenor Shirts has secured two franchise agreements in Nigeria and Ghana following support from Invest Northern Ireland. T...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Murder Accused Found Dead In Jail
A man accused of a double murder has been found dead in his cell by West Midlands Police. Rimvydas Liorancas, 37, was found dead on Saturday, January 28 at Woodhill Prison in Thames Valley. He was f...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Govt Reveals 63% Increase In Apprenticeships
The Government has published statistics which they say show some 457,200 apprenticeship starts were delivered in the 2010 to 11 academic year, representing a 63.5% increase on the previous year. A sp...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Water And Sewerage Bills To Rise In 2012
The average bill for water and sewage is to rise by over 0.5% above inflation to £376, according to the industry's regulator. According to Ofwat on Tuesday, the average household water and sewerage ...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
'Not Too Late' To Apply To Uni - Willets
The Education Minister has told school leavers it's not too late to apply to university, after figures showing a 9% decrease in applications was released on Monday. Responding to the figures, Mr Wil...
UK National News, Jan 31, 2012
Other News In Brief
Appeal Over Indecent Exposure In Midlands An appeal for help from the public has been announced after a man indecently exposed himself to a teenager in Brownhills. It happened at 7.30pm on Sun...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2012
Five Injured In Car Crash
Five people have been injured in a car crash on the Newry Road in County Down. The accident involved two cars at around 6.30am this morning on the Sven Sisters stretch of the main Newry to Hilltown r...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2012
Attwood Announces Plastic Bag Tax
Environment Minister Alex Attwood today announced that a five pence levy on single use carrier bags will be introduced in April 2013. This will increase to ten pence in April 2014. The Minister has ...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2012
Report Shows More Needs To Be Done For Vulnerable Prisoners
The Northern Ireland Prison Service (NIPS) has welcomed the publication of a report on its treatment of vulnerable prisoners. Published by Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland (CJINI), it fou...
UK National News, Jan 30, 2012
University Applications Down 9%
Almost 9% fewer students have applied for a place in University since the ramping up of tuition fees, according to figures from the admissions service on Monday. Last year the Government controversia...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2012
ATL Accepts Governments Pension Scheme Offer
ATL's Executive Committee has accepted the government's final offer for the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS). The decision to accept the deal comes after a poll of members showed 91.6% of respondents ...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2012
Bus Stop Injury Victim Named
John Hickey, 72, has been named as the man who died last Saturday following an incident at a Belfast City Centre bus stop. Mr Hickey died as a result of head injuries sustained near Central Library o...
UK National News, Jan 30, 2012
Pregnant Teen Robbed At ATM
The hunt is on for two teenage youths who grabbed cash from a pregnant girl after she'd withdrawn money from a Gateshead cashpoint. The incident happened just after 10pm on Friday, January 27 outside...
Northern Ireland News, Jan 30, 2012
McNarry To Resign From Ulster Unionist Assembly Team
David McNarry is set to resign formally from the Ulster Unionist assembly team following disagreements over cooperation with the DUP. The deputy chairman of the assembly's education committee reveale...